Government

Brick Zoning Board Turns Down Proposal to Build 60 Townhomes, Apartments

by
Daniel Nee
June 2, 2025

A rendering of the entrance to a 60-unit multifamily complex proposed in Brick Township. (Credit: Planning Document)

Brick Township’s Zoning Board of Adjustment ruled late last week to deny the application of a developer seeking to build 48 townhomes and 12 apartments on a parcel of land off Drum Point Road.

The plan, proposed by Ramani Group, a North Jersey developer, carried on over four hearings and came to an end Thursday after a lengthy period of public comment. An audio review of the meeting by Shorebeat indicated all who spoke before the board objected to the project, which attracted neighbors from nearby developments and subdivisions who testified that they believed traffic and congestion would become worse along the Drum Point Road corridor, and traffic making turns into and out of the development could pose a danger to driver safety. The complex was proposed for 100 Drum Point Road, a large plot of land that long housed a medical building anchored by an ophthalmologist.

Other residents pointed to other areas of concern, ranging from evacuations during coastal storms and flooding events, to the possibility of investors plucking up units and turning them into “Section 8” housing, eliciting concerns over crime – a sensitive topic in Brick Township after years of crime-related troubles in the Maple Leaf Park development on the opposite side of town, where more than 80 percent of the privately-owned units are not owner occupied. Police, over the last decade, responded by including that development in a new patrol district and launching outreach programs that have addressed some of the issues.

As part of the Drum Point Road proposal, the 48 townhomes would be sold to private owners and the 12 apartments – incorporated into their own building – would be designated as affordable housing for low-income tenants. Representatives for Ramani Group held that the project would not bring unreasonable levels of additional traffic to the area. Both the developer and the township hired engineers to perform traffic studies. The township’s engineer found morning peak morning traffic volumes slightly lower than what had been presented by the developer, and evening traffic volumes slightly higher. The latest traffic impact study, conducted March 25, 2025, stated the proposed development would generate 28 vehicle trips during the morning peak hour and 33 trips during the evening peak hour.

A rendering of a 60-unit multifamily complex proposed in Brick Township. (Credit: Planning Document)

The proposed site of a 60-unit multifamily complex proposed in Brick Township. (Credit: Planning Document)

Still, the study did not sway the opinions of neighboring residents. The presentation did not sway board members, either, who unanimously voted to deny the application. In order for the project to gain approval, a supermajority of board members would have been required to vote in favor of granting a use variance, since multifamily residential complexes are not normally permitted within the Village Zone, where the property is located. The Village Zone does allow for some residential development, but was designed to encourage mixed-use projects to improve aging properties and provide space for small businesses and connected residences. Another variance was required to allow multifamily units on both floors of the apartment building, and a third for a one-foot reduction of the width of the development’s parking spaces.

David Chadwick, the board president, said his decision was based on traffic concerns as well as issues that could arise during evacuations of nearby flood-prone areas. He also said the project did not comport with the underlying zoning of the property, with the aforementioned Village Zone designed with the intent of maintaining the existing character of the three corridors in town which became part of the zone when it was created several years ago.